This list is in order of books read and is complete with my ratings out of five stars.
Sarah’s Key, Tatiana de Rosnay (novel) ***
Interesting history of Paris during the Nazi occupation, combined with a contemporary story of a trail of secrets leading back to 1942. Somewhat clunky, but it kept my interest.
Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog, Lisa Scottoline (collection of columns) *****
Insightful, personal and laugh-out-loud funny columns about life as an aging single mom with pets and a kooky family.
Juliet, Naked, Nick Hornby (novel) ****
Laid- back story by bestselling author of About a Boy. Not as good as others of his. I found the ending unsatisfactory, but interesting themes of fame, creativity, parenting, and relationships.
The Family Man, Elinor Lipman (novel) ***
Light, charming, somewhat complex story about exes, children, gay lovers, and the social scene in New York. The characters are well drawn. This author has been called a contemporary Jane Austen.
The Bishop’s Man, Linden MacIntyre (novel) **
Follows a priest in Newfoundland whose job it is to confront priests who molest children. The protagonist has his own issues with celibacy and sobriety as well as a complicated family past. The story’s told in the present as well as flashbacks, which I found confusing.
Fascinating mystery set in Provence and told partly by a nine year old boy in a coma.
Made in the USA, Billie Letts (novel)***
Predictable story about two orphaned kids on their own in scummy Las Vegas with a happy ending. (literary junk food, hard to put down)
For a change I'm beginning to read some nonfiction. I have "It's the Crude, Dude" by Linda McQuaig, which reveals what America and others will do for oil. This won't be quite so escapist.
All of these are from my local library. I'm so grateful for this wonderful service.
We are lucky, aren't we to have this free treasure trove of library books?
ReplyDeleteYour list is eclectic...I like that.
I have been looking forward to this post since you mentioned that you were going to write about the books you are reading.
ReplyDeleteSarah's Key looks interesting and
I must read "Why My Third Husband Will Be A Dog" What a hoot.
I just got "The Hare With Amber Eyes"
by Edmund De Waal who I know as a ceramicist.
He inherited a collection of Netsuke ( all that is left of the vast family art collection stolen by the Nazis) and decided to trace the story of his family through the collection.
Your reviews were so concise, I always seem to ramble on, just perfect !
cheers, parsnip
Hey Parsnip, your new book sounds interesting. I just checked with my library and it's on order so I've put a hold on it.
ReplyDelete